Today got to hear a sermon in English at church. Lately I've been hearing the sermons translated into English, but today it was the actual sermon preached in English. My friends' parents are visiting from the States and he's a retired pastor. He graciously preached today's sermon. It was nice to hear the sermon in one language rather than try to block out the Arabic so I can concentrate on the English. Plus there are pauses while the translator listens and then translates.
Normally I listen the best I can and then on Monday morning, while folding laundry or whatever, I listen to sermons HERE. I love good Lutheran sermons. There's nothing like them. Just the right mix of Law and Gospel. It's easy to get spoiled. Once you've eaten steak it's hard to go back to McD's. So I've gotten to be rather picky. Then there are the sermon reviews from Issues, Etc. Once you know the criteria for a good sermon, it's hard to really enjoy one that doesn't meet it.
Today's sermon was good, in that what he said was correct. But Christ wasn't even mentioned. Perhaps quoted, since the sermon was on the gospel reading, but He wasn't preached on. I had my new Bible along, and read from it while the lessons were read in Arabic. Since my translating friend reads from his English Bible I turn off the headphones so I can read without the distraction. As the pastor was preaching I read the study notes for the reading. I'm sorry to say that I found nourishment in the study notes than I did in the sermon.
The gospel reading was Mark 5: 21-34. Jairus approaches Jesus and asks Him to come home with Him and heal his daughter who is dying. While they're walking a woman whose had a hemorrhage for 12 years comes up behind Him and touches the hem of His garment. He feels the power go out of Him and asks who touched Him. She approaches and tells Him why she did it.
From the sermon I learned to be like the woman who touched the hem of His garment. I honestly don't remember much about it. It was nice in a general, vague way, but I was told to remember that everything is in His control. OK.
From the study Bible I learned that Jesus had healed with a touch before and would again so Jairus was asking for Him to touch her. However, He was able to cure by simply saying the word. The woman who had touched Him had tried all kinds of remedies over the last 12 years. The Talmud lists 11 cures for conditions like hers and we'd consider them superstitious nowadays, but she had probably tried them all to no avail. When she touched Him and He felt the power leave Him, it doesn't mean that He performed this miracle involuntarily. When He asked who touched Him, He wasn't accusing but inviting her to confess her faith. Because her illness involved impurity she was open to the charge of defiling Him by touching Him. The woman's faith was NOT the main cause of her healing. Her faith was the means by which healing was received from the outpouring of Jesus' power and grace.
There was a little sermon in the notes as well: "Jesus heals Jairus's daughter and a woman with a chronic ailment. Like Jairus, we often worry that the Lord's delay in answering our prayers may end up in catastrophe. But the Eternal One, who overcame death by rising from the dead, never runs out of time. In fact, His gracious promise is that we shall share eternal life with Him."
"Lord, grant us to believe without doubting that You can heal every illness. Give us patience, as well, that we might be unmoved while waiting for You to act in Your own good time and in accord with Your gracious will. Amen."
No comments:
Post a Comment